As you visit your classroom each week, you should be keeping a log of your hours. In addition to this log, we would like to you observe specific characteristics of your cooperating teacher's (CT's) classroom and reflect on these observations.
By observation, we mean that we would like to write a brief paragraph describing what you saw that answers the questions we provide.
By reflection, we mean that we would like you to write a paragraph that interprets your observations, and evaluates them based on either what you intend to do when you have your own class our in light of what we are reading and talking about in class.
For each observation assignment please post your answers by creating a new page using the "EDC 430 Observe/Reflect" template.
Observation/Reflection #1: Starting From the Beginning
Where is your CT before class begins? What is he or she doing? How and when does your CT open class? How is homework from the previous night reviewed/collected/assessed?
Please post your observations and reflections using these links:
Observation/Reflection #2: Eyes in the Back of Your Head: Observing Student Actions
Describe student attention in class (Everyone engaged and learning, Most engaged and learning, Few engaged and learning). Take note what different students are doing while the teacher is talking, while they are supposed to be doing seatwork, and/or when they are working in the lab. Look for a range of behaviors, not just the expected ones. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher. Use the various observations to support your assessment.
Please post your observations and reflections using these links:
Describe your teacher's teaching style. What type of relationships with students does he or she nurture in their classes? How do students perceive that power is distributed in the classes? Does this vary within or across the different classes the teacher has? Cite examples from your observations to support your inferences. Remember to reflect on what style of teaching you will gravitate toward and the how you want to be perceived by your students.
Observation/Reflection #4 - What Was the Question?
This week, try to pay attention to how your teacher asks questions and facilitates discussion in his or her classes. What types of questions does your CT ask? Are most of the questions asking students to relay facts or textbook definitions (recall) or to apply a concept to a new situation or compare it to another concept (application or analysis). Does your teacher ever encourage his or her students to be critical or skeptical? If so, when and how? Does your CT ever ask students to provide evidence to support a claim or explain their thinking? Does your teacher facilitate classroom discussion so that students are expressing scientific ideas to other students? Finally, does your CT vary the type of questions he or she asks depending on the level of the class, or the perceived ability of the student? Remember to reflect on what types of classroom discourse you want to foster in your classroom, how you will go about doing this, and why.
Observation/Reflection #5 - How Do We Stop This Thing?
Observe how and when your teacher ends his or her lessons and/or activities. Does he or she emphasize the point of lab activities? How does he or she end each class period? Is there a set routine? If so, describe it. Pay special attention to when you teacher begins to end the class. Is the teacher still teaching when the bell rings or are students already poised to leave? Is there some "dead time" at the end of the class period? If so, how much? How do students react to your teacher's closing strategies? Remember that these questions are a guide and that you don't have to answer each one. Be sure you reflect on your observations and describe how you will try to end your classes. What supports for these ideas will you include in your lesson plans.
By observation, we mean that we would like to write a brief paragraph describing what you saw that answers the questions we provide.
By reflection, we mean that we would like you to write a paragraph that interprets your observations, and evaluates them based on either what you intend to do when you have your own class our in light of what we are reading and talking about in class.
For each observation assignment please post your answers by creating a new page using the "EDC 430 Observe/Reflect" template.
Observation/Reflection #1: Starting From the Beginning
Where is your CT before class begins? What is he or she doing? How and when does your CT open class? How is homework from the previous night reviewed/collected/assessed?Please post your observations and reflections using these links:
Observation/Reflection #2: Eyes in the Back of Your Head: Observing Student Actions
Describe student attention in class (Everyone engaged and learning, Most engaged and learning, Few engaged and learning). Take note what different students are doing while the teacher is talking, while they are supposed to be doing seatwork, and/or when they are working in the lab. Look for a range of behaviors, not just the expected ones. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher. Use the various observations to support your assessment.Please post your observations and reflections using these links:
Observation/Reflection #3: A Matter of Style
Describe your teacher's teaching style. What type of relationships with students does he or she nurture in their classes? How do students perceive that power is distributed in the classes? Does this vary within or across the different classes the teacher has? Cite examples from your observations to support your inferences. Remember to reflect on what style of teaching you will gravitate toward and the how you want to be perceived by your students.Observation/Reflection #4 - What Was the Question?
This week, try to pay attention to how your teacher asks questions and facilitates discussion in his or her classes. What types of questions does your CT ask? Are most of the questions asking students to relay facts or textbook definitions (recall) or to apply a concept to a new situation or compare it to another concept (application or analysis). Does your teacher ever encourage his or her students to be critical or skeptical? If so, when and how? Does your CT ever ask students to provide evidence to support a claim or explain their thinking? Does your teacher facilitate classroom discussion so that students are expressing scientific ideas to other students? Finally, does your CT vary the type of questions he or she asks depending on the level of the class, or the perceived ability of the student? Remember to reflect on what types of classroom discourse you want to foster in your classroom, how you will go about doing this, and why.Observation/Reflection #5 - How Do We Stop This Thing?
Observe how and when your teacher ends his or her lessons and/or activities. Does he or she emphasize the point of lab activities? How does he or she end each class period? Is there a set routine? If so, describe it. Pay special attention to when you teacher begins to end the class. Is the teacher still teaching when the bell rings or are students already poised to leave? Is there some "dead time" at the end of the class period? If so, how much? How do students react to your teacher's closing strategies? Remember that these questions are a guide and that you don't have to answer each one. Be sure you reflect on your observations and describe how you will try to end your classes. What supports for these ideas will you include in your lesson plans.Observation/Reflection #6 - Putting It All Together
This week, take a break from make specific observations and start assembling your work in your student profile.Use the template called "EDC 430 Student Profile" to create a profile that presents your work and observations for this class on a single page.